Driver in 2023 Woodside crash that killed a mother takes plea deal

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A woman who killed a 54-year-old mother in a 2023 head-on car crash on Interstate 280 in Woodside took a plea deal on Friday to resolve the case, the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Campbell resident Constellatia Martin, now 26 years old, pleaded no contest to felony vehicular manslaughter and felony reckless driving causing great bodily injury. She also admitted to an enhancement allegation of fleeing the scene.

In exchange for pleading no contest, other charges related to the fatal crash were dropped and Martin will face sentencing of up to 9 years and 8 months in state prison, the DA’s office said.

Martin was driving her white 2010 Ford Fusion against traffic in the southbound lanes of I-280 around 2:38 p.m. on April 22, 2023, when she collided head-on with a black 2019 BMW SUV near the Woodside Road exit, according to prosecutors. The driver of the BMW, 54-year-old Eden Palmer of San Francisco, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Palmer’s 16-year-old son, who was riding in the backseat, survived the crash with major injuries.

After the crash, Martin ran away and was found lying naked in a ditch by California Highway Patrol officers, according to the DA’s office. Officers noted that she had red, watery eyes, rapid speech and was exhibiting erratic behavior. A blood sample taken from Martin showed that she had marijuana in her system, “but no other drug,” prosecutors wrote.

In March 2025, Judge Susan Jakubowski denied the defense’s motion for a mental health diversion in the case.

Martin is set to be sentenced on Dec. 17.